Electric heater or rheostat



No. 606,769. Patented July 5, |898. B. VAN n. SILL.

ELECTRIC HEATER oa RHEosTAT.

umm/Coz GMM/n mi (Application flied May 29, 1897.)

(No Model.)

witness@ "Curran Srarns PATENT Ormea.

RICHARD VAN RENSSELAER SILL, OF NENV YORK, VN. Y., ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO TIMOTHY COHALAN AND GEORGE N. CHASE, OE SAME IIACE, AND DANIEL E COIIALAN, OF JERSEY CITY, NE\V JERSEY.

ELECTRIC HEATER oa aHEosrAr.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 606,769, dated July 5, 1898.

Application filed MIWZQ, 1897. Serial No. 638,819. (No model.)

To all wiz/01771 if; nto/,y concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD VAN Rnnssn- LAER SILL, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Heaters or Rheostats; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention Vcontemplates certain new and useful improvements in electrical heaters, having reference to that class of radiators employing a comminuted resistance in lieu of wires.

In Letters Patent of the United States No. 505,574, issued August 1l, 1896, I showed and described a hermetically-sealed radiator havin glongtudinal bores wherein I placed a comminuted resistance, electrodes being placed in contact therewith, so that an electric current could be made to travel through the said resistance, in at one end and out at the other.

Practice has demonstrated that it is highly essential to the successful use of radiators so equipped that the resistance be uniform throughout-that is, if the comminuted substance be more densely packed at one point than another therheating of the radiator will lack uniformity, being heated at the points of least density to a higher degree than at otherk points where it is tight.

The object of the present invention is therefore to produce an electric heater or rheostat in which the resistance iillin g of comminuted material will be of substantially uniform density throughout its length, which object is attained by depositing the resistance material in a spiral layer with the convolutions in contact.

The resistance, which has preferably as its essential components carbon and soapstone, is fed into the bore surrounding the feeder, and as the latter is rotated the compound will pass around its worm or spiral and be deposited at the lower end thereof in uniform layers. As this deposit occurs the weight of the feeder serves to make the mass solid throughout its length, its solidity being uniform at every point. As the bore is thus filled to near its end with the powdered compound the feeder is removed and a suitable electrode is inserted, the same preferably consisting of a screw-rod having a nut fitting snug within the bore, the whole being held by Babbitt metal surrounding the screw-rod.

To enable the invention to be more clearly understood, I will refer to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a view showing a heater in process of being supplied with its comminuted resistance, the mechanism for operating the feeder, as well as the latter, being shown in elevation, while the heater is in section. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the heater ready for use. Fig. 3 is another sectional view of the heater, taken through one of the bores, showing the feeder in position. Fig. 4 is an enlarged or exaggerated View of a section of the resistance compound.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a radiator having a longitudinal bore a, the form shown in Fig. 2 being provided with two parallel bores communicating at one end, as at a', the outer ends of the bores being open; but I do not restrict myself to any form of radiator, the essential requirement being, however, a cylindrical bore.

B is the feeder, which consists of a rod having an upper reduced shank ZJ and a screw or spiral-like portion h', the eXtreme lower edge b2 of which is reduced and made flat, but is not pointed. 'The greatest diameter of the screw portion of the feeder-rod is about equal to that of the bore of the radiator, so that the spiral will contact with the interior of the bore. Any suitable means may be employed for rotating the feeder and likewise for weighting the same. I have shown a small wheel b3 on the upper end of the feeder-rod, over which is passed a weighted rope h4. As the feeder-rod is rotated and the resistance compound is inserted in the open end of the bore it will pass down around the spiral and be deposited in the bore in thin layers one upon the other, but all thoroughly packed together by reason of the weight of the feeder. As each bore is iilled to near its open end the feeder is removed and a threaded rod (l is inserted. On this rod is a nut d, which praetieally corresponds to the diameter ol' the bore, forming` a stop for Babbitt metal, as at d, by which the ends of the bores are her nietieall7 closed. Thus it will be seen that the eoln mi nuted resistance is so packed Within the radiator in spiral forin with contacting` convolutions that it presents a uniform density throughout its entire length or depth, the compound being` deposited in equal layers as the feeder is rotated and rises upon its own deposit. ln this Way the danger ol obtainingI an unequal heat at any point is successfully avoided.

The advantages of my invention will be at once apparent to those skilled :in the art, but nlay be brieflyv stated as follows: First, the resistance being equal at all points there will be no heating in spots,thereby avoiding eraeking and breaking` ol the shell or tube due to unequal expansion and contraction; second, owing to the convoluted or spiral forni of the resistance material there can be no transverse fracture thereof by exlmnsion and contraetion, since even though two eonrolntons should partially separate du ring contraction the Continuity of the spiral will remain i|nbroken and the passage of the current por niitted.

l elaini as my inventionl. An eleetricheater orrheostat consisting' of an outer shell, and a 'resistance fillingr therein in the form ot a spiral layer el eonuninnted material with the convolutions in contaet,si1b stantially as set forth.

2. lin electric heater or rheostat consistingr of an outer shell, a densely-packed resistanml filling therein in the l'orin ol a. spiral layer ol3` even thickness "with the eonvolutions in een-- tact, and electrodes in the ends ol' the shell, snbstantiz'tlly as set forth.

ln testiinon)T whereof l have signed this speeilieation in the presence ol.' two subserib-` ing witnesses.

lllGlllllll l'ilil' llllNSlnI-lll-llll. Hlth lllitnesses:

llllioimnn l. triennio JOHN l), lUoimi'nlN. 

